


The Loan

by silkmoth



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Established Relationship, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-13
Updated: 2011-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-16 22:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/170163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkmoth/pseuds/silkmoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you crazy? You can’t… I can’t do this! I will spend the whole week in the stocks and… wait a moment. That’s it! I will spend the whole week in the stocks. That’s the answer. I like it there.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Loan

**Author's Note:**

> Set in Season 1.

“What?”

Arthur winced and stared at his feet.

“I had to.”

“What?”

“I’m sure it won’t be… so bad.”

Arthur knew that Merlin wouldn’t believe that. He didn’t believe it either. It was a disaster. The thought alone… Arthur shuddered.

“Merlin, listen. Just… keep your head down. Don’t look at him, do as he says and this week will be over quickly. And remember to call him ‘Sire’ or ‘Your Highness’. Do yourself a favour and do not call him Uther, alright?”

“Are you crazy? You can’t… I can’t do this! I will spend the whole week in the stocks and… wait a moment. That’s it! I will spend the whole week in the stocks. That’s the answer. I like it there.”

“Merlin, my father doesn’t put his servants in the stocks. He used to flog them. He never did that to Charles, but Charles is kind of perfect.”

“Flog them? Arthur, you’re giving me to your father for a week…”

“I didn’t give you to him…”

“…when he is flogging his servants? Alright, I know you think I’m the worst manservant ever but what? You want to kill me now? And here I was, thinking you loved me!”

“I have no choice! You’ve seen Charles, he is too sick to work. And only the Gods know why, but my father insisted that you should replace him for a week or so.”

“I know why! He hates me! I will be dead tonight, you know that, don’t you? And even if I’m not, you will never get any in your whole life again!”

“Merlin, stop it. Just do what he wants, bring him his breakfast, and then clean his rooms or whatever he wants you to do. Just… try not to be yourself. And no magic!”

Arthur watched a very pale Merlin leave his chambers and then he laid his head on the table. Gods.

***

Two hours later, Arthur peeked around the doors to the crown room to take a glance at his father. The King seemed to be in a good mood, talking about something to his steward and a few of his knights. The King was smiling.

The problem was, Arthur knew that could either mean everything went alright at breakfast or Merlin was already dead. He tiptoed back into the halls. Usually at this time, he would be down at the training field, but today his knights would have to wait a few minutes. Arthur broke out in a run towards his father’s rooms.

***

“What happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’? I’m scared shitless.”

“No, I mean… everything went okay with breakfast?”

“I guess. I have no idea, I can’t remember a thing.”

Arthur stared at his trembling lover who leaned against the large black table in the middle of the King’s chambers.

“What did he say to you? What does he want you to do?”

“That’s the problem. He… he said I should clean this room, then polish his armour and sharpen his swords. Oh… and then… I should mend and wash his clothes until tomorrow? The clothes in this chest. But… what does he mean, clean this room? This room is perfectly clean.”

Arthur stared on. Sharpen his swords? All of them? The prince went over to the chest, opened it and groaned. Gods, these were old capes of his father, ripped and dirty. Arthur closed the chest, sat on top of it and closed his eyes. This was impossible. For Merlin. Charles could do this, no doubt. But Merlin? Never.

“Arthur? Could you please help me out here? What about this room? I mean, I already brought the breakfast dishes to the kitchen, made his bed and polished the table. I don’t know what else there is to do.”

“Beat the rug, wipe the floor…”

“What? But the maids…”

“No maids in the King’s chambers. Dust everything, and I mean everything, wash the curtains… you did remember to make the bed with new bed clothes, didn’t you?”

“But the old ones were perfectly fine…”

“Make the bed again with new bed clothes and wash the old ones, clean the windows, clean the fire place, get new wood… cinder wood. Er… get the tub in, my father bathes every night. Don’t forget to get the tub out again afterwards. Tonight, there will be dinner with the whole crowd, so get out his blue…”

Arthur broke off when he noticed how Merlin looked at him.

“I know.”

“I can’t… how… and the swords? The clothes? And oh… I forgot, the stable.” Merlin sat down next to Arthur on the rug. “I knew it… I’ll be dead tonight.”

Arthur combed through Merlin’s dark hair with his fingers for a moment, then he stood up and went to the door, opening it. He waved a guard over to him and said, “Get me Sir Gawain, quickly.”

***

Arthur put down one of his father’s capes and took a look at Merlin who was lying on Arthur’s bed, snoring slightly. He grimaced; it had been one hell of a day for all of them, including his knights.

Gawain had been delighted to help. At first. He had lost quite a bit of his good mood when Arthur had told him to get the King’s swords into his room and to start sharpen them. Yes, all of them. Arthur was sure Gawain would have gotten his smile back very quickly if he had seen Percival’s face when the prince had told him to muck out the King’s stable, disguised in a ratty old hooded gown.

Not to mention his other knights who had all washed, cleaned and stuck needles into their fingers the whole day, while Merlin had sat in the middle of the King’s chambers, petrified.

Arthur smiled and took another look at the exhausted man on his bed. From what Merlin was exhausted, the prince had no idea. Except for serving breakfast and dinner, Merlin had done nothing the whole day. Arthur stretched and then glanced at the two remaining capes. Well, he was almost finished. Afterwards, he would wake his manservant and make him pay for all that trouble in the most delightful way. If Arthur wasn’t too tired for it.

***

“Arthur, your father wants me to clean the covings of the fireplace. I don’t even know what he means by that!”

At dinner, Sir Henry was excused. Arthur had no idea when his knight would be clean again.

***

“Arthur, your father’s horse hates me. It tried to bite me while I was grooming it.”

Arthur sat in the middle of horse dung trying to catch his breath while Gawain tried to hide his grin. Dammit, that beast had a worse temper than the King.

***

“What does ironing mean?”

Arthur was sure Percival would hate him till eternity.

***

“Arthur, I have to say, I clearly underestimated your manservant. He of course is not as excellent as my Charles, but nevertheless… he isn’t bad.”

Arthur, tired to the bone, had problems to keep his face out of his soup bowl. The prince had been delighted when he had heard from Gaius that Charles was on his feet three days earlier then everyone had thought. Why Charles didn’t pretend to be sick forever, Arthur couldn’t venture a guess. He was very sure Charles didn’t have the same side benefits Merlin had by being Arthur’s servant. Or he hoped so. Alone the thought of Charles and his father… Arthur shuddered.

“The way you talk about him… it’s not very nice. I understand you can’t go around praising him, that would only go to his head. But a few kind words now and then won’t hurt.”

Arthur nodded. ‘Oh, oh… yes Merlin! YES!’ wasn’t good enough? He was sure Merlin knew how much Arthur appreciated him.

“By the way, son, what did you do to your knights these last days? Almost everyone of them looked dead on their feet.”

“I trained them real hard, Father. They have to be in good shape to protect Camelot. Father, would you mind if I retire to my chambers? I’m not really hungry tonight.”

“No, no, son. I wish you a good night.”

“Good night to you, too, Father.”

With that, Arthur dragged himself to his feet and towards his rooms.

***

After opening the doors and stumbling in, Arthur saw Merlin sitting on his bed, practically vibrating with pent up energy. He groaned inwardly.

“Whatever you want, forget it. I’m too tired for it.”

“Oh? No matter. You know what your father did? He complimented me on the good work! Isn’t that great?”

“Let me get this straight. You don’t mind me being not in the mood for sex, but you almost come in your pants because my father said something nice about the work you didn’t do? You are such an ass, Merlin.”

“Hey! Maybe you can bring yourself to understand some of this? Uther does not only think I’m a good little servant, he also didn’t discover I’m a warlock and your lover. I didn’t get flogged, hell, I wasn’t even in the stocks. It sounds like a success to me.”

“Yes. And all that happened because we were all working our asses off for you! I hope you still remember you sat around the last four days, looking scared, while everyone around you was doing your chores?”

“I do remember. And today I was thanking all of them. I just wanted to start to thank you when you came in with a face like a wounded… no, I won’t say it.”

“Thank you. But I hope you wanted to thank me in another way than you thanked Gawain.”

“Oh, I like Gawain. He looks gorgeous.”

“I can promise you, he doesn’t think that you do.”

“He said he likes my ears.”

“He said…”

Arthur broke off when a laughing Merlin draw him down on the mattress. The prince fell into the kiss and let his lover disrobe him; it was his duty anyway. And as always, Arthur wasn’t too tired after all.

 

The End.


End file.
